SMS Marketing Trends to Embrace in 2023

Consumer expectations, preferences, and shopping habits continue to evolve as 2022 draws to a close; however, one thing has remained the same—SMS marketing is here to stay. Here are five SMS marketing trends to keep a close eye on in 2023. 

Five Trends for Increased SMS Marketing Success

SMS continues to be one of the most valuable digital marketing tools, and because of its 98% open rate and the personalization it offers, there’s no sign of it slowing down. Avoid getting stranded at sea with a solid SMS marketing program that helps your brand build long-term customer relationships while increasing loyalty and ultimately driving revenue.

Now that 2023 is almost here, it’s time to cross your t’s and dot your i’s to ensure your brand is successful in the new year. Here’s a look at five SMS trends to place emphasis on in your 2023 SMS marketing strategy.

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Trend #1: Humans are getting back in the SMS marketing loop.

Consumers yearn for human connection, which is continuing to change how they spend money and engage with brands. We can all agree that no one wants to solve an issue or ask a simple question by communicating with a robot. It’s time-consuming and frustrating.

It’s time to recognize the need for a “human in the loop” to provide your consumers with the genuine feeling of community and personal connection they desire. Therefore, to be successful, brands need to move away from chatbots and automated texts and employ live agents. Live agents provide an improved customer experience in addition to helping businesses increase revenue and build relationships with customers and employees over time. 

It’s not surprising that among the different forms of customer support, live chat has the highest customer satisfaction level at 75%, followed by email (61%) and phone (44%). With First Mate by Voyage, brands can loop in live agents to act as their brand ambassadors via SMS and create an experience that is personalized and engaging. 

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Trend #2: It’s no longer just “Data is King”. Zero-party data is the new ruler of customer experience.

Clear, robust data is essential to running effective marketing campaigns and increasing CLTV. Zero-party data, or voluntarily supplied personal information, can increase sales, strengthen relationships with consumers, and build trust. Zero-party data is a powerful SMS marketing resource because it comes directly from the consumer.

We are entering a new era of data gathering and compliance, and SMS will be the technology that makes zero-party data accessible. Consumers demand no longer have a tolerance for One way to obtain zero-party data is with custom modals. Modals also ensure your organization remains compliant with SMS regulations and carrier rules.

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Trend #3: 1:1 personalized experiences aren’t a luxury, they’re a brand necessity.

Consumer behavior has changed, and now more than ever, there is a strong demand for a 1:1 user experience. In fact, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences. Earn customer loyalty by making your customers feel seen and unique throughout their entire customer journey. As a starting point, showcase your brand personality and find what resonates with your customers.

Creating delightful experiences is the number one way to gain customer loyalty, improve CLTV, and drive revenue. With Voyage’s powerful and user-friendly segmentation and personalization 

tools, brands can target the right customer at the right time, leading to increased engagement and maximized conversions. Segmentation makes it seamless to personalize content based on lifecycle stages and where a customer stands in their product journey. For example, a message to a new subscriber should look different than one to a loyal, longtime customer.

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Trend #4: Omnichannel isn’t going anywhere. 

A multi-channel marketing approach is crucial to your brand’s success in 2023. Brands that effectively integrate SMS with multi-channel marketing tactics can deliver the right message, to the right customer, at the right time, leading to improved engagement and a higher ROI. 

When combining the power of multiple digital channels, you separate your brand from the crowd by enhancing a customer’s journey. And just think of how many impressions—and ideally conversions—you’ll get from combining SMS, email, and social media, compared to just one of those tools. Consider taking it a step further and utilize tools like Voyage Deep Link to convert your social media fans into devoted subscribers, expanding your channel of acquisition.

Need more convincing? Marketers using three or more channels in any one campaign earned a 287% higher purchase rate than those using a single-channel campaign. 

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Trend #5: In-person and live events are loving SMS.

As 2023 kicks off, in person events are resuming in full force, and with that uptick, SMS is growing in popularity to give a holistic live event experience. Engage attendees and grow your SMS subscriber list by using SMS at in-person and live events. Using QR codes and SMS keywords together will give customers ample options on how they want to opt-in and connect with your brand, boosting overall engagement.

Make the most of growing your SMS list from the event and continue to engage with this new group of customers to build relationships and increase your CLTV. This can be done by thanking attendees for coming to an event, continuing to send exclusive content, and promoting other events, drops, or merch going forward. 

Preparing Your Brand for 2023 with Voyage SMS

By partnering with Voyage, you can rest assured that your SMS campaign will be supercharged and ready to go in 2023. With the ability to send hyper-targeted messages with segmentation, trigger multi-message automations, and loop in live agents with First Mate, your SMS campaigns won’t miss a beat (and the metrics on your dashboard will prove it).

Get in touch today to find out how Voyage can help you achieve your SMS goals in the new year.